Mohan Puri/ Chandrakala

Akkaravadisal One Pot

This is a very traditional South Indian sweet dish. Lord Mahavishnu is offered this sweet as prasad(holy offering). The main ingredients are Rice, moong dal, jaggery, milk, and ghee. The ingredients are similar to the Sweet  Pongal but both taste very different. It tastes heavenly when served a little warm. Without much ado let’s get to the recipe right away.

This recipe already exists on this blog, but I am adding another method to make it, which is the one-pot method. One can choose whichever method they find doable. The results are the same for both, just a few steps vary which I will guide you through here.

While you are here check out my other Indian Sweet recipes like Malpua, Pineapple Rabri, Atte ka Sheera, Chakkarai Pongal, Aval Kesari, Unni appam, Sugiyan, and many more…  

 

Here is the recipe of One -Pot Akkaravadisal for you-

  PREP TIME: 15                                         COOK TIME: 20Mins
 TOTAL TIME:40Mins                                  COURSE:  DESSERT
 CUISINE: SOUTH INDIAN                         SERVINGS: 5
 AUTHOR: Rajni Ram
 
 

 

 

   Ingredients:

   Rice 1 cup
   Moong dal/ green gram 1/4 cup
   Milk  6 cups
   Jaggery 1 cup
   Water 1/4 cup
   Sugar ( optional) 1 tbsp
   Ghee 3/4 cup
   Cardamom/ elaichi powder 1 tsp
   Saffron ( optional) 2 pinches, soaked in warm milk
   Raw camphor( optional) 1 pinch powdered
   Cashewnuts 8 to 10
   Raisins 8 to 10
   DIRECTIONS:
  Dry roast the Moong dal directly in the cooker to a light brown     colour. Stir constantly and take care not to burn the dal. It will give   out a nice aroma. Put the jaggery in a separate vessel, add water, and  bring to a boil. Put off the heat and stir to dissolve the jaggery.   Keep aside. Now to the roasted moong dal in the cooker, add the   washed rice. Pour 2 cups milk and 1 cup water, close the cooker and  cook for 5 to 6 whistles ( flame should be on low throughout,   otherwise there are chances of the milk overflowing through the   sides). Once pressure releases open the cooker and mash the   contents well. Put the cooker on flame again and strain the liquid   jaggery into the cooker directly. Pour another 2 cups milk and stir   nicely. There may be lumps, break them down patiently by stirring.   Like I always say add 2 teaspoons of sugar to any jaggery dish to   enhance the taste of jaggery. Add more milk if the 2 cups of milk get   absorbed. We want a texture that is semi-solid and smooth, not   lumpy. Now add the cardamom powder, raw camphor(optional), and   add in the raisins and nuts fried in ghee. The one-pot   Akkaravadisal is ready to serve. Enjoy BonAppetit. This is a popular Prasad(holy offering) dish that can be offered during Pujas.
 
STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:
1.  Assemble all ingredients.
 
2. Dry roast the Moong dal directly in the cooker to a light brown colour. Stir constantly and take care not to burn the dal. It will give out a nice aroma. Now to the roasted moong dal in the cooker, add the washed rice. Pour 2 cups milk and 1 cup water, close the cooker and cook for 5 to 6 whistles ( flame should be on low throughout, otherwise there are chances of the milk overflowing through the sides).

 

3. Until the pressure releases let’s get the jaggery ready. In a small vessel take the jaggery, add 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil, put out the stove, and stir the jaggery to dissolve it. 
 
4. Once pressure releases open the cooker and mash the contents well. Put the cooker on flame again and strain the liquid jaggery into the cooker directly. Pour another 2 cups milk and stir nicely. There may be lumps, break them down patiently by stirring. Add two spoons sugar.
 

 

 
5. Add milk in which the saffron strands were soaked followed by Cardamom powder, raw camphor(optional). Finally, add the nuts and raisins fried in ghee. 
 

NOTES:

1. The only glitch in this method is the milk overflowing from the cooker or the milk sticking to the bottom of the cooker. To manage this the flame should be on low through out until the whistles are over.
2. We are straining the jaggery to remove impurities in the jaggery. I  recommend not missing this step.
3. To get that smooth texture and consistency add more milk if required. 
 
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Thengai Therattipal/ Palkova (Coconut Infused)

Therattipal or Palkova is a dehydrated milk sweet, made with only two ingredients-Milk and Sugar. Therattipal is a traditional recipe made for festivals like Janmashtami and Deepawali. In our house, Therattipal is the main offering to Krishna apart from Sweet Appam and for Deepawali too we start the festival with a spoon of the Therattipal immediately after Ganga Snanam.

This time I have given a twist to the Therattipal and added roasted coconut gratings to it, which enhances the taste of this sweet dish. Anyway until we add the coconut the method of the recipe is the same. Usually, no cardamom powder is added to this sweet as the milk taste is what should pervade, but if one does prefer, it can always be added.

The coconut flavour is mild and not very intense. The milk and the coconut combine really well to give a different taste which is a welcome change from the regular Therattipal.  

This recipe if made with pure organic cows milk tastes divine, as while the milk reduces you can see the natural fat bubbling out. And it tastes as though ghee has been added to it. These days since we all use milk packets or tetra pack cartons of milk we don’t see this process happening naturally and so we add a teaspoon of ghee at the end. its an optional step and the sweet will still taste the same, if not added.

While you are here please check out my other Sweet dish recipes like –

 Atte ka Sheera, Sugiyan, Carrot Kheer, Vella Aval, Maa Ladoo, Pineapple Rabri, Chakkara Pongal and many more…

The same recipe can be followed for regular Therattipal/Palkova too. Only the coconut doesn’t have to be added.

Here is the recipe for Thengai Therattipal/Palkova(coconut-infused)-

PREP TIME: 5Mins                                      COOK TIME: 1 hr
TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 05Mins                            COURSE: DESSERT
CUISINE: SOUTH  INDIAN                          SERVINGS: 4

 

AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

 

Ingredients:

Milk (toned milk) 1.5 litres (refer to note1)                                                                Sugar 140 gm approx (reduce if you prefer less)                                                        Coconut (grated) 1 cup

Directions:

Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed vessel or Kadai and begin to boil. It has to be reduced by almost 3/4 of the quantity by stirring constantly. For the first 10-15 minutes, constant stirring is required, thereafter keep flame on medium heat and keep stirring from time to time. As the moisture from the milk evaporates the consistency of the milk becomes denser and the texture also starts becoming granular/thready. Keep stirring until the milk has lost almost all moisture(check picture for reference) and now add in the sugar and start stirring again. Once the sugar is added the reduced milk mixture liquifies a little, it is normal and nothing to worry about. Continue stirring until the mixture loses all the moisture al does not stick to the bottom of the pan anymore. Another way to check is to put a little   Palkova in a plate, just wet your hands with water, and try to take a small bit of the Palkova and shape it to a mini ball. If the ball forms, you can turn off the flame. Now in In another Kadai, put 1/2 tsp ghee and drop in the coconut gratings and start roasting it until it becomes dry and it is a nice brown in colour. Transfer it to a plate and cool it. Once cooled, add to the Palakova/Therattipal, switch on the flame and mix nicely until the coconut and the Therattipal are well integrated and switch off the flame. After adding the coconut the mixture turns a little drier. It is natural so nothing to worry. Offer it to Krishna or just have it as dessert. Enjoy. Bon Appetit.                                                                                                                If you want just regular Therattipal stop the procedure after adding sugar and reducing it again. Add a teaspoon of ghee for a nice sheen.   

 

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. Start by boiling the milk in a heavy-bottomed vessel or Kadai.

 

2. Keep stirring constantly for the first 10 to 15 minutes and keep scraping the sides of the vessel as the milk solids keep depositing there.

 

3. Now on medium heat and stirring every once in awhile reduce the milk until almost all moisture gets evaporated.

 

4. Now add in the sugar and start stirring again. The mixture liquified a little again but it is natural and again will solidify.

 

5. Keep stirring until the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the vessel any more. Another method to check for doneness is to take a little amount of the Therattipal and put it on a plate. Wet your fingers and take a small quantity and try to form a ball. If you are able to form a ball, that is the right consistency. Put off the flame.

 

6. In a small Kadai take little ghee and add a cup of grated coconut and start roasting until it becomes dry and turns a nice brown in colour. When the coconut is dry, it will not stick to the Kadai anymore. Transfer it to a plate and cool.

 

7. After it cools completely add it to the Therattipal, switch on the flame and stir nicely until the coconut is well integrated with the Therattipal. Once the coconut is absorbed, the mixture will become drier, this is natural and there is no need to worry. Add a teaspoon of ghee finally, just for some sheen. The Thengai Therattipal is now ready.

 

 

 

QUICK VIDEO OF METHOD HERE:

 

NOTES:

1. I have used Tetrapack toned milk. The more fat content in the milk the lesser the evaporation time. You can use full cream milk too.

2. It took around 1 hour to reduce 1.5 litres of milk. 

3. If you don’t wish to add the coconut, the process can be stopped after adding sugar, reducing further and performing the test to see if a ball is formed.

4. If one prefers less sugar, it can be reduced a little.

5. There are many short cut methods to evaporate milk by adding milk powder etc; I use this method for making small amounts of Rabri for jalebis and other such dishes, but I don’t recommend the shortcut method for Therattipal, as this whole sweet dish is about the texture and taste. 

6. Cheese too is used for quick evaporation, but again it changes the taste and texture.